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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · root · plane · bay · clip · arm · racket · perch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. plane — a tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. root — the cause
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com